Integrated pest management and food safety

In recent decades, consumers have become increasingly concerned about the quality and safety of their food. Public and private standards for pesticide residues have become stricter than ever before. But while there are plentiful technical solutions, the application of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is still a struggle for many farmers.

The challenge of combining pesticide use and ensuring safe food

Making IPM work in practice

Increased environmental awareness has led to the need for sustainable agricultural production systems. Good Agricultural Practices and IPM have become essential components of sustainable agriculture. The integration of the various control measures, where pesticides are used only as a last resort, ensures that pests remain below the economic threshold, thus supporting food safety and international market access.

To realise this, supportive and enabling policies and institutions are required. The course is aimed at realising multi-stakeholder processes, with the aim to develop enabling IPM and/or pesticides-related policies. Participants will enhance their ability to identify and solve problems in IPM and related aspects. It entails a mix of lectures, discussions, group work, excursions and fieldwork. Meeting colleagues from other countries with similar interests leads to mutual learning.

Course objectives

Upon completion of the course you will:

better understand the role of primary production in food chains in achieving food safety;

know the link between IPM, food safety as a result of primary production, and the protection of the environment;

understand public and private food safety grades and certification;

know the different roles and stakeholders in supporting the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices, sustainable agriculture and IPM;

be able to develop IPM policies and institutional innovations by using multi-stakeholder processes;

know how to increase participation levels in IPM policies and implementation.

Target audience

The basic prerequisite for participation in this course is active interest and professional experience in this field. Participants should be proficient in English, and have at least a BSc degree or an equivalent academic qualification.